This is about my thoughts on the matter, too. The game was a necessary step forward in acknowledging the deficiences of 3D Zelda's combat and correcting them (though why the enemies have to play defense so often, and so well, hurts it compared to 2D Zelda combat), and also had a much-needed rethink of dungeon design and non-dungeon level design. It had major issues of its own, but it scored all the fundamentals, and Zelda U could do great by keeping what SS got right.

So you based it off of a demonstration that was admittedly ill-conceived, but also doomed to failure due to signal interference, and never really bothered to look at any of the other previews stating how flawless the motion control implementation was?

Hmm...

I had that same issue with the combat.  I would have rather they played less defense and just give them more health to compensate.

First playthrough: Wowed by new elements and slight convention breaking. Disappointed by story and atmosphere. Overall slightly disappointing, but fun overall.

Second playthrough: Novelty of new elements worn off. Shallow, redundant, insanely limited world. Imprisoned battles and spirit trials are monstrous chores. Story even more boring without the benefit of a fresh look. Fi's nagging makes me so mad I scream constantly at the TV (something which never even happened with Navi, for the record). A shallow, boring experience bogging down a few genuinely great ideas. A massive, massive disappointment.

I think it was a good game, but had some pretty big control flaws. The game required way too much recalibration.

Overall probably the best post-N64 Zelda though.

A Link to the Past > Wind Waker > A Link Between Worlds > Twilight Princess > Minish Cap > Link's Awakening > The Oracle of Ages/Seasons > Ocarina of Time > The Legend of Zelda > Majora's Mask > Link's Awakening > Skyward Sword

I omitted Phantom Hourglass because I couldn't be bothered to finish it (Hated the Control scheme and that repetitive dungeon), and Spirit Tracks because I never played it...because I never finished Phantom Hourglass. I also didn't do the CD-i games for obvious reasons.

I put Twilight Princess so high because it's basically Ocarina of Time without the problems Ocarina had that so many people tend to overlook. I just didn't like Majora's mask. it was good, but suffered all the same issues that Ocarina suffered without much of the charm and fun factor Ocarina had.

One of the worst Zelda games I've ever played. Boring, weird, and did I say boring? Tad tones? really? The first Zelda game I ever sold back was Wind Waker, SS was sold back as well. I thought the controls were fine. And certain things worked, but overall? a snoozefest and quite forgetable.

Well okay, but the thing is, even "being lazy", IR pointing facilitates that and is just easier anyway. The "tilt the controller around to make the cursor move to what menu icon you want to click on" mechanic was clumsy, inaccurate and slow. Whereas merely pointing at something directly (IE like the Wii Channel Menu), and clicking is 100% precise and takes no time at all. And even more can be said about that for aiming to shoot things. It was slow and cumbersome to the extreme to "tilt around until you think Link is kinda pointing at the guy you want to shoot" deal was ridiclous to me. How they could have made a great (and precise) little Zelda shooting game in Link's Crossbow Training, and then turn around and NOT re-use those perfect mechanics in SS, just boggles my mind.

Like I said, I like SS, and will be keeping my copy. I'm sure at some point in the future I'll feel like playing it again. But the problems with the overused/forced motion controls for everything does hold me back. I think it would have been a great game, and not just a good one, if it had had normal controls.

Even if the demo would have been stellar, I'd still have passed because of motion controls. They're not as precise as a regular controller, and no matter how good they are, they WILL screw up sometimes and that drives me crazy.

I loved Galaxy, but the hampster ball levels and the sting ray levels were so frustrating I nearly threw my controller through a wall.

I hugely enjoy every Zelda game I play, though I'm yet to complete Adventure of Link or Four Swords Adventures, and I have never touched the CDi games. I also haven't played A Link Between Worlds yet, but that's waiting for me at Christmas.

I think Skyward Sword is an excellent, if extremely linear, top-tier Zelda game. It's the culmination of the 3D entries as heroic epic myth, and, more than any other title, the legend of Zelda herself. I wouldn't play another Zelda game like it, which I think is why I love it and some people dislike it--because they don't want more of it. I don't want more of it but it is still an excellent game for me.